Womens Economic Rights> GBENGA KOMOLAFE'S COMMENTS

[jjowa@xxxxxxxxxxx]

>
>
>
> THE NIGERIA INFORMAL ECONOMY DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE 
(NIEDI): OUR
> SUBMISSION.
>
>
> BEYOND TOKENISM
>
> Dear Conference Participants,
>
> We have keenly followed the discourse on women 
economic and social
> empowerment
> facilitated by Kabisa Organisaiton. It's been quite 
interesting. At the
> Nigeria Informal Economy Development  Initiative 
(NIEDI), we concentrate
> on improving the economic and social status of the 
poor through their
> livelihoods. As the poor and unheard constitute the 
bulk of marginal
> workers in the informal economy and as most of  these 
are women, our
> activities seek to directly impact on these women. We 
are also aware
> that women  workers have to cope with an unfair share 
of domestic chores
> in what has come to be known as the care economy-
cooking, water fetching
> sometimes over long distances, child bearing and 
rearing, wood fuel
> fetching,
> care of the aged and the sick, etc. all within the 
context of a
> fundamentally
> unfair economic arrangement that disempowers women. 
Our approach is
> completely
> non-elitist.
>
> NGOs cannot do enough to counteract the daily 
injustices women suffer
> silently in the home and often times as victims of 
mindless Government
> policies. When shanties and ghettos are destroyed as 
in Lagos and
> Port-Harcourt
> recently women suffer most. When illegal structures 
are demolished
> without providing any form of alternative, women in 
the informal sector and street
> workers are most affected. When raids are carried out 
on road side traders
> by environmental sanitation officers with wares 
seized and arrests
> made, women are the firsthand victims.
>
> At NIEDI, we work through the informal sector, 
artisanal organizations,
> as we are convinced that people's attempt to self-
organize around common
> interests gain   great force and effectiveness when 
such attempts are
> centred around livelihoods.
>
> We educate the informal sector workers, men and 
women,but mostly women
> on such issues as the need to improve and transform 
working environment
> or Occupational Health and Safety (OHS), basic 
literacy education
> campaigns,
> basic advocacy skills, etc. we also seek to directly 
impact on their
> micro-businesses through micro-credit and micro 
health insurance schemes
> among others.
>
> However, we have of late, begun to reflect on the 
relevance of traditional
> institutions that serve as repositories of societal 
core values , religion
> especially Christianity and Islam. How can we 
capitalize on the value
> of others first, self last, love of neighbour as 
oneself, love and respect
> for one's partner, monogamy etc. as in Christianity 
and actively engage
> negative trends as child marriages and polygamy which 
Islam seems to
> tolerate?
>
> More importantly, how can NGOs really impact more 
directly and
> significantly
> on Government policies through all these innumerable 
conferences without
> actually involving the supposed beneficiaries  of 
these initiatives
> directly
> through concrete  actions designed to ameliorate the 
unacceptable situation
> of increasing social marginality and economic 
disempowerment of women
> especially in this era of economic down-turn?
>
> We hope we have triggered off some more concerted 
thought-process on
> these issue? We would want to benefit from the wealth 
of your experience
> on some of the issues raised.
>
> Thank you.
>
> Mr. Gbenga Komolafe  Executive Director, NIEDI
> Mrs. Florence Aluko-bello, Chairperson, Board of 
Management, NIEDI
>
>
>
>
>
> __________________________________________________
> FREE voicemail, email, and fax...all in one place.
> Sign Up Now! http://www.onebox.com
>
>
>